Printing rollers



Oct. 10, 1961 L. ENGLANDER PRINTING ROLLERS Filed April 24, 1959 NAAANAAAAAAANAANAANAAAA X INVENTOR.

can y United States Patent:

3,003,417 PRINTING ROLLERS Louis Engiander, Lyon (Rhone), France, assignor to Etahiissements Victor Simon, Villeurbanne (Rhone),

France, a French joint-stock company Filed Apr. 24, 1959, Ser. No. 808,696 Claims priority, application France Apr. 26, 1958 7 Claims. (631. 101375) The usual printing methods by means of printing plates or rollers do not readily lend themselves to the production of very fine multi-colored patterns and more particularly of such patterns formed of polychrom stripes, since in such methods, each individual color being obtained by an elementary printing operation, it is very diflicult to realize perfect registration of the successive operations. This requires an expensive control apparatus which in turn necessitates skilled operators.

It has been proposed to print fabrics and the like by first preparing the desired pattern on a suitable support by means of appropriate solid coloring substances soluble in water or other solvents, by impregnating the fabric to be printed or the printing pattern with one of the said solvents and by applying the support thus prepared on the fabric, whereby the pattern is reproduced thereon. This method permits of obtaining polychrom'patterns in a single operation and without any possible defect in the registration of the elementary colors, but of course the useful life of the printing support (which is in practice in the form of a roller) is limited by the thickness of the layer of solid dyeing material which the said support carries. In the case of multi-striped patterns it is practically impossible to dispose on a roller a band of the dye which will at the same time have the reduced width required for the stripe to be printed, which will have a substantial thickness for ensuring a long time of service, and which will be flexible enough for being wound along the periphery of the roller.

It is an object of the present invention to avoid the above limitations and to provide a method of establishing a printing roller for multi-striped patterns which will ensure a long time of eifective operation.

In accordance with one aspect of the present invention a printing roller for the production of multi-striped pat terns on fabrics and the like by means of a soluble solid coloring substance disposed on a support in accordance with the pattern to be realized, is formed of a close succession of discs made of an appropriate soluble plastified coloring substance, carried on a supporting shaft of relatively small diameter. It will be appreciated that such a roller may print very fine stripes while still ensuring a long time of service owing to the considerable radial thickness of the roller.

The discs are preferably clamped between two substantially rigid clamping heads made of a soluble colorless plastified substance having substantially the same dissolving properties as the substance which forms the discs in the solvent to be used in connection with the roller.

All the discs which form the printing roller are conveniently given the same thickness corresponding to the finest stripe to be printed, a number of identical successive discs being used for printing stripes of larger width.

When it is desired to print undulated stripes, the discs may be undulated in an axial direction and may be clamped between clamping heads the facing sides of which are undulated in accordance with the conformation of the discs. Alternatively the discs may be clamped between clamping heads the facing sides of which are para1- lel to each other and oblique with respect to the supporting shaft. It will be understood that in both cases the pattern printed by the roller comprises regularly un Patented Oct. 10, 1961 dulated stripes, the pitch of the undulations decreasing progressively as the diameter of the printing roller itself decreases. This very slow decrease of the pitch of the undulations is generally not an inconvenience in actual practice.

In the annexed drawings:

FIG. 1 is a side view with parts in section diagrammatically illustrating a printing roller according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagrammatical section showing the roller applied on a fabric.

FIG. 3 illustrates the pattern realized by means of the simplified roller shown in FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 illustrates another pattern which may be obtained by means of a printing roller according to the invention.

FIG. 5 is a fragmental side view diagrammatically showing a roller according to the invention for printing a pattern comprising undulated stripes.

FIG. 6 shows the pattern printed by means of the roller of FIG. 5.

FIGS. 7 and 8 respectively illustrate another embodiment of a roller adapted to realize a pattern comprising undulated stripes and the pattern printed by such a roller.

In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 designates a hollow supporting shaft which may be formed of a length of stainless steel tube adapted to be carried by an appropriate inner shaft. The ends of supporting shaft or tube 1 are screw-threaded as indicated at 1a. Tube 1 carries a. number of discs 2 made of a plastified coloring substance soluble in an appropriate solvent, as for instance in water. In FIG. 1 only three such discs have been illustrated, but it should be understood that in actual practice they are in a sufficient number to form a continuous roller once they are axially pressed against each other on the supporting tube 1.

Discs 2 are clamped between two cylindrical clamping heads 3 made of a colorless substance having substantially the same dissolving properties in the selected selvent, i.e. in water in the present instance. These clamping heads 3 may actually be made exactly of the same plastified material as the discs themselves, apart from the coloring dye, their thickness being such that they are substantially rigid. Clamping heads 3 are urged against discs 2 by two metallic sleeves 4 which receive the action of nuts and lock nuts 5 screwed on the ends 1a of tube 1.

It will be appreciated that by providing a sufiiciently large number of discs 2 there may be realized a printing roller having -a useful length substantially equal to the width of the fabric to be printed.

In operation the fabric or like surface 6 (FIG. 2) to be printed is passed on or under the printing roller thus prepared, the said surface, or alternatively the said roller, being impregnated with water or like solvent. In the case of a fabric, the latter may be passed through a batch of water and between squeezing rollers before reaching the printing roller. It is also possible to spray water or another solvent on the fabric and/ or on the printing roller. Whatever may be the procedure used, the edges of the discs print on the fabric or surface 6 a series of fine multicolored stripes, FIG. 3 shows by way of example four parallel stripes 7 having the same width and which may be printed by means of four successive discs 2 having the same thickness as indicated in FIG. 2. In actual practice stripes having a width of less than 1 millimetre are easily obtainable, while with the known processes correct registration of a large number of such fine multi-colored stripes would be extremely difficult to obtain.

When the edges or marginal portions of the fabric are disposed beyond the ends of the succession of discs 2 in a transverse direction with respect to the fabric (i.e. in an axial direction with respect to the printing roller), the

said edges or marginal portions engage clamping heads 3 which, being soluble as the printing discs, decrease in diameter as the discs themselves and at the same rate, without therefore interfering with the printing operation. When the multi-stiiped pattern comprises stripes of dilferent width, an obvious method consists in using printing discs also of different thickness, but it is also possible to print a relatively Wide stripe by means of a plurality of thin identical discs disposed against each other. Thus in FIG. 4 it may be assumed that the narrow stripe 8 corresponds to the thickness of one printing disc 2, while each of the wider adjacent stripes 9 is obtained by means of two discs of the same color, each of the outer stripes 10 corresponding to four discs. With such an arrangement the roller may be established by means of discs cut from plastic sheetsof uniform thickness, which considerably simplifies the preparation of the printing rollers. 7

FIG. '5 illustrates an embodiment wherein the discs, here referenced 12, have been pressed to an 'undulated conformation.

These discs 12 are clamped between two clamping heads 13 the facing sides of which are undulated in accordance with the undulations of the discs. The printing roller thus obtained permits of printing undulated stripes 14 (FIG. 6). The pitch of the undulations of these stripes is of course dependent on the diameter of the roller and decreases as the diameter of the roller itself decreases. But since the reduction of the diameter of the printing roller is practically very slow, it may be admitted that the pitch of the undulations is substantially constant for a given length of fabric, which is sufficient in most cases. FIG. 7 illustrates another embodiment of a roller adapted to print undulated stripes. In this embodiment the heads of soluble plastified colorless substance, here referenced 23, have their facing sides parallel to each other and oblique with respect to the axis of the roller. Discs 22, which have been provided for this purpose with a central hole of somewhat increased diameter, are thus obliquely clampedon the supporting tube 1. When the fabric or like surface to be printed is passed on or under such a roller, the discs print thereon undulated stripes 24 (FIG. 8) wherein the undulation pitch a corresponds to the peripheral length of the roller. Of course discs 22 are elliptic, since they correspond to the intersection of a cylinder and of a plane oblique with respect to the axis of the cylinder; but since the inclination of the discs is generally relatively small, the excentricity of thisv ellipse is reduced and the roller may be formed of the same circular discs as in the case of PEG. 1, a small machining of the roller after mounting of the discs being sufi'icient for obtaining a true cylindrical outer shape.

As to the substance which forms the printing discs and the clamping heads it may be of any kind provided it is soluble in the selected solvent and also provided it may retain the dyes. There may be used for this purpose polyvinylic alcohols to which polyacrylic or acetic acids are added in order to obtaina solution having a suitable pH 7 value for the alkaline treatment of the printed fabric.

The desired dye is then added to the solution and the latter is cast in fiat moulds or on suitable plates. The layer thus obtained is dried at an elevated temperature and there is finally produced a colored water-soluble sheet or film, the thickness of which may be as reduced as .2 mm. The printing discs are thereafter cut from such sheets or films.

The clamping heads may be prepared in the same manner but without any addition of coloring dye and of course by means of an appropriate mould.

The roller formed by the succession of discs of appropriate colors is rectified before being used for the printing operation.

As to the dyes themselves they may be of any kind provided their pH value is in accordance with the constitutive substance of the roller. 7 r

The printing discs may for instance be prepared as in the following example:

200 g. of polyvinylic alcohol, 20 g. of polyacrylic acid, 10 g. of glycerine, 20 g. of indanthrene blue and 5 g. of silica are dissolved or dispersed in 1 litre of water maintained at C. The solution obtained is screened and cast on moulding plates in such a manner as to obtain a layer having a thickness ranging from 2 to 3 mm. After drying there is obtained a thin sheet or film from which blue-colored printing discs may be cut.

I claim:

1. A printing roller adapted. to print on fabrics and like surfaces a large number of multi-colored stripes of reduced width disposed in close juxtaposition, comprising a supporting shaft; centrally perforated discs of substantially same diameter mounted on said supporting shaft in close succession, each disc being made of a water soluble plastic substance having a base of polyvinylic alcohol, and said substance having incorporated therein a dye corresponding for each disc to the color desired for one of said stripes; and means on said supporting shaft to axially clamp thereon said discs against each other.

2. In a printing roller as claimed in claim 1, said means to axially clamp said discs on said supporting shaft comprising substantially rigid clamping heads mounted on said shaft and having substantially the same diameter as said discs, said clamping heads being made of a water soluble plastic substance having substantially the same dis solving properties as said discs themselves.

3. In a printing roller as claimed in claim 1, said discs being clamped obliquely with respect to said supporting shaft.

. 4. A printing roller adapted to print onfabn'cs and like surfaces a large number of .rnulti-colored stripes of reduced width disposed in close juxtaposition, comprising a supporting shaft; centrally perforated discs of substantially same diameter mounted on said supporting shaft in close succession, each disc being made of a water soluble plastic substance having a base of polyvinylic alcohol, and .said substance having incorporated therein a dye corresponding for each disc to the color desired for one of said stripes; a substantially rigid clamping head mounted on said supporting shaft on each side of said succession of discs, said clamping heads being made of a water soluble plastic substance having substantially the same dissolving properties as said discs, and said clamping heads being substantially cylindrical, having substantially the same diameter as said discs, and having their facing end sides parallel to each other and oblique to said support; and means on said support to urge said clamping heads against said succession of discs. 7

. 5. A printing roller adapted to print on fabrics and like surfaces a large number of multi-colored stripes of reduced width disposed in close juxtaposition, comprising a supporting shaft; centrally perforated discs of substantially same diameter provided with alternate lateral undulations on each side of the mean plane of each disc, said discs being mounted on said supporting shaft in close succession with the undulations of each disc registering with those of the adjacent discs, each disc being made of a water soluble plastic substance having a base of polyvinylic alcohol, and said substance having incorporated therein a dye corresponding for each disc to the color desired for one of said stripes; a substantially rigid clamping head mounted on said supporting shaft on each side of said succession of discs, said clamping heads being made of a water soluble plastic substance'having substantially the same dissolving properties as said discs, said clamping heads being substantially cylindrical, having the same'diameter as said discs and having their facing sides provided with alternate undulations on each side of a transverse plane in registration with the undulations of said discs; and means on said support to urge said clamping heads against said succession of discs.

6. A printing roller adapted to print 011' fabrics and like surfaces a large number of multi-colored stripes of reduced width disposed in close juxtaposition, comprising a supporting shaft; centrally perforated discs of substantially same diameter mounted on said supporting shaft in close succession, each disc being made of a water soluble plastic substance comprising polyvinyl alcohol and polyacrylic acid, and said substance having incorporated therein a dye corresponding for each disc to the color desired for one of said stripes; and means on said supporting shaft to axially clamp thereon said discs against each other.

7. A printing roller adapted to print on fabrics and like surfaces a large number of multi-colored stripes of reduced width disposed in close juxtaposition, comprising a supporting shaft; centrally perforated discs of substantially same diameter mounted on said supporting shaft in close succession, each disc being made of a water soluble plastic substance comprising polyvinyl alcohol and acetic acid, and said substance having incorporated therein a dye corresponding for each disc to color desired for one of said stripes; and means on said supporting shaft to axially clamp thereon said discs against each other.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 116,720 Laemmel July 4, 1871 2,072,297 Damm Mar. 2, 1937 2,165,867 Lohrey July 11, 1939 2,217,065 Magath Oct. 8, 1940 2,246,976 Goulding June 24, 1941 FOREIGN PATENTS 152,870 Australia Aug. 18, 1953 

